Foiling podiums decided at halfway mark of Sail Brisbane 2024
The third day of Sail Brisbane 2024 saw high winds mark the halfway point of the regatta, with racing in several classes once again affected by the extreme conditions.
For the foiling fleets who were the first to begin racing on Tuesday, today marked their final day on the water, with winners decided after a full day of course racing in up to 25 knots.
In the WingFoil class, Laila Opanubi (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished top of the women’s fleet after a strong showing on Manly Harbour, noting she enjoyed the challenge today’s conditions provided.
“The conditions were pretty rough today, but I managed to pull through,” said Opanubi.
“Our racing was called off yesterday, and on Tuesday we had lighter winds, so to finish on a really windy day was lots of fun.
“It was really cool to race against such a big fleet; everyone was really supportive. I’m really happy to have done so well too; the recognition is a nice reminder to keep training and keep going.
“I’m excited to do more foiling, keep competing, and get faster and see where it takes me,” she said.
Connor Radford (Belmont 16s Sailing Club) finished first in the men’s WingFoil class, while clubmate Jack Paterson finished second and Tyson Forrest (Mooloolaba Yacht Club) finished third.
Having not lost a single race over the course of the regatta, Sam Costin (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished in first place in the women’s iQFOil class, with a total of just six points from eight races. Anna Cripsey (Royal Brighton Yacht Club) finished with silver while Amelia Wilson (Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron) took home the bronze.
In the men’s iQFOil class, Jarrod Jones (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) and Philip Cripsey (Royal Brighton Yacht Club) both finished the regatta on a total of eight points, with the top gong awarded to the latter after countback.
“There was a bit of a breeze on today, but we had some nice close racing out there, some tight battles,” said Cripsey.
“Our final results came down to the last race; it was pretty close, and we were all pushing it in the big breeze.
“It means a lot to come out on top at the last event of the season and to finish the season strong,” he said.
Western Australian Jack Brazier (Fremantle Sailing Club) finished on top of the podium in the iQFOil Youth class, while brothers Andre Chereiski and Max Chereiski (Woollahra Sailing Club) finished second and third, respectively.
Despite the high winds, both the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 classes managed to complete two races this afternoon, the only others attempted today. Racing at Sail Brisbane will continue out of Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron over the next two days, with several Opti classes also set to begin their Sail Brisbane campaigns from tomorrow.
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